Reaffirmaton of wedding vows can be an incredibly touching and revitalising occasion, and is so inspiring for family and friends to be witness to. For married couples it is a time to celebrate how far they have come in their lives and look positively towards their future.
A wedding vow renewal ceremony is similar to a marriage ceremony there are fewer rules, legal requirements and paperwork. The reaffirmation ceremony can be as simple or elaborate as the couple likes – and it could be an intimate affair with just the couple or a ceremony with a larger number of guests. Reaffirmations can be held at the location of the couple’s choice – a church, a park or garden, a boat, a beach, a temple, at the couple’s house, a reception venue, where the couple had their first date, anywhere!
By nature, wedding reaffirmation ceremonies tend to be more intimate celebrations because the day is hosted by the couple, all aspects are planned exactly as they want, and they hand pick only their closest friends and family to share the day with. When planningto renew wedding vows ceremony think about incorporating aspects of the day that reflect who the couple are.
You could choose personal and creative ways of incorporating aspects from the original marriage into the reaffirmation ceremony like walking down the aisle to the same wedding song, play the original wedding day video, or maybe have a photo board full of images from the original wedding day.
Some reasons why people choose to have a Reaffirmation of their Wedding Vows:
- Original ceremony may have been without family and friends, e.g. the couple eloped, or married overseas i.e. in Las Vegas!
- Didn’t have a lot of money for the original wedding and want to do it properly.
- Original wedding was ruined by something or someone.
- Caught up on the day in planning, supervising and event managing so you felt like you missed your original wedding.
- 10th, 25th, 50th, 60th wedding anniversaries.
- After a difficult time in their lives.
- Overcoming illness.
- Following a period of estrangement.
- Reaffirm the immense and enduring love a couple has for each other.
- It’s a romantic thing to do!
How is the Reaffirmation Ceremony structured?
There are no required elements in a reaffirmation ceremonies. If the couple chooses, they can be very similar to a wedding Ceremony – even with the signing of a Marriage Certificate for authenticity. Work with the wedding celebrant to design your own personal wedding vow renewal ceremony.
Order suggestion of a wedding vow renewal ceremony – choose to have some or all of the following:
- Celebrant welcomes everyone, introduction.
- The couple’s personal reason for reaffirming their vows.
- Reading(s) and/or prayer(s)
- Vows are exchanged
- Ring ceremony
- Special blessings or rituals
- Sign the marriage certificate
- Presentation of the marriage certificate
- Ceremony conclusion.
